During Pride Month.

The Department of Commerce under the Trump administration has faced backlash from LGBTQ advocacy groups after reportedly rewording the language of its equal employment opportunity statement. According to BuzzFeed News, the department issued a statement to their employees that did not include protection from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The 2017 statement read: "The Department of Commerce does not tolerate behavior, harassment, discrimination or prejudice based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability. We will also provide reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities." As BuzzFeed notes, the statements from the Obama era looked notably different, including language that specified sexual harassment, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

It's important to note that there are laws in place to protect LGBTQ workers against unfair treatment. In 2012, the EEOC officially ruled that discrimination against transgender people falls under the category of sex discrimination. It has also passed rulings that prohibit discrimination against sexual orientation. As The Washington Post points out, the Commerce Department's policy statement won't negate any of those rulings, but it has raised concerns within the LGBTQ community nonetheless.

Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, explained to BuzzFeed that the statement reflects "careless bad government." She added, "Trans employees are still absolutely covered by sex discrimination laws, and sex is listed there. So even if the Trump administration doesn't want to enforce federal civil rights laws, we're not going to let them get away with that."

However, once BuzzFeed ran its story about the policy, a Commerce Department spokesperson contacted the website to say that a new document would be issued. In a statement, the spokesperson said: "To be clear, the Department’s EEO policy statement was never intended to change the policy or exclude any protected categories. The Department of Commerce policy remains that we do not discriminate on the basis of transgender status and sexual orientation. Department employees will continue to enjoy the fullest extent of the protections of all the nondiscrimination laws. EEOC has instructed federal agencies to process complaints of discrimination on the basis of transgender status and sexual orientation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and through the federal sector EEO complaint process at 29 C.F.R. Part 1614 as claims of sex discrimination. Secretary Ross has directed the Department to reissue the policy statement to address any concerns and prevent misinterpretation."

But in the eyes of LGBTQ advocates and politicians, this seems to be too little, too late. As DNC spokesperson Joel Kasnetz explained to LGBTQ Nation: "You can’t un-ring a bell. By trying to erase LGBTQ people from the Commerce Department’s nondiscrimination policy, the Trump administration sent a crystal-clear message to LGBTQ Americans: 'You’re not welcome here.'"